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In this lesson we will see how the believers corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity in the progressing stage of God’s full salvation, that is, in the stage of transformation, through wrestling with the devil and his spiritual forces in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 1:1 through 6:9 speaks of the positive revelation of the church in its accomplishing of God’s eternal purpose, whereas, on the negative side, 6:10-20 speaks of the church being a warrior to defeat God’s enemy, the devil, and his spiritual forces in the heavenlies. Verse 11 speaks of “the stratagems of the devil”; then verse 12 explains that “our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.” Behind men of blood and flesh are the evil forces of the devil, who oppose God’s purpose. Hence, our wrestling, our fighting, is not against men but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. The rulers, the authorities, and the world-rulers of this darkness are the rebellious angels, who follow Satan in his rebellion against God and who now rule in the heavenlies over the nations of the world. This darkness refers to today’s world, which is fully under the dark ruling of the devil, who rules through his evil angels. The rulers of this darkness are the princes set up by Satan to rule over the nations. Because of the work of Satan, the power of darkness, the earth with its atmosphere has become a world of darkness.
Verse 12 also speaks of “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.” The heavenlies refers to the air (2:2). Satan and his spiritual forces are in the air, but we are seated above them in the heavenlies (v. 6). Hence, Satan and his evil forces are under us and are destined to be defeated by us. We must realize that our warfare is not against human beings but against the evil angels, the spiritual powers, in the heavenlies. The warfare between the church and Satan is a battle between those who love the Lord in the church and the evil powers in the heavenlies. We must fight against these spiritual forces.
Ephesians 6:10 says, “Be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength.” The word empowered in Greek has the same root as the word power in 1:19. To deal with God’s enemy, to fight against the evil forces of darkness, we need to be empowered with the great power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the heavens, far above all the evil spirits in the air (v. 20). When we are empowered with the power that raised Christ from the dead and that made Him to be the Head over all things, we realize the might and strength of God.
In 6:10 Paul tells us to be empowered “in the Lord.” In spiritual warfare against Satan and his evil kingdom, we can fight only in the Lord, not in ourselves. Whenever we are in ourselves, we are defeated.
Verse 11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.” To fight the spiritual warfare, we need not only the power of the Lord but also the armor of God. Our weapons do not avail, but God’s armor, the whole armor of God, avails. The whole armor of God is for the entire Body of Christ, not for any individual member of the Body. The church is a corporate warrior, and the believers are parts of this unique warrior. Only the corporate warrior, not any individual believer, can wear the whole armor of God. We must fight the spiritual warfare in the Body of Christ, not as individuals.
The charge to “put on the whole armor of God” is an imperative, a command. God has provided us with armor, but He does not put it on for us. Rather, we must put on the armor that God has provided. For this, we need to be empowered. Although God can empower us, we still must exercise our will to cooperate with Him. According to this principle, we must cooperate with God’s command to put on the armor.
We need to put on the armor of God so that we may be able to stand. In Ephesians 6 the word stand is crucial. To sit with Christ (2:6) is to participate in all His accomplishments, to walk in His Body (4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15) is to fulfill God’s eternal purpose, and to stand in His power is to fight against God’s enemy.
The devil is good at devising all kinds of stratagems; these stratagems are his evil plots. The devil has not only evil intentions but also deceptive stratagems to work out his intentions. To put on the whole armor of God enables us to stand against the stratagems of the devil.
Ephesians 6:13 says, “Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” In verse 11 we are told to put on the armor of God, and in verse 13 we are charged to take it up. The armor of God is prepared and provided by God for us, but we need to put it on and take it up. We need to use and apply God’s provision. We take up some items of the armor, such as the sword and the shield, and we put on other items, such as the breastplate, the helmet, and the shoes. Whether we put on the whole armor of God or take it up, we must exercise our will in a strong way.
In verses 11 and 13 Paul specifically speaks of the whole armor of God, not just a part or some parts of it. In order to wage the spiritual warfare, we need the whole armor. This requires the Body of Christ. It is not individual believers who take it up. This armor is not for individual believers; rather, it is for the corporate church, the Body. Only the corporate warrior, the Body, can put on the whole armor of God. By putting on the whole armor of God, we will “be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” To withstand is to stand against. In fighting, the most important thing is to stand. In this warfare we need to stand to the end. After having done all, we still need to stand.
According to Ephesians 6, Christ is the armor that we put on for our protection. In verses 14 through 17, we have six aspects of Christ as the armor: the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the firm foundation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Among the six items of Christ as our armor, the sword is the only one that is used for attacking the enemy; the rest of the six items are defensive.
Verse 14 says, “Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth.” The girding of our loins is for the strengthening of our entire being. For the purpose of standing, our entire being needs the strengthening of the truth. Truth refers to God in Christ as reality in our living, that is, God becoming our reality and experience in our living. This is actually Christ Himself lived out by us (John 14:6). Such truth, such reality, is the girdle that strengthens our whole being for the spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 6:14 also speaks of the breastplate of righteousness that covers our conscience, signified by the breast. In fighting against Satan who accuses us, we need a conscience void of offense. Regardless of how clear we feel our conscience is, it needs to be covered with the breastplate of righteousness. The One who covers our conscience and guards us from Satan’s accusations is Christ Himself (1 Cor. 1:30). Therefore, Christ covers us as our righteousness. Moreover, the breastplate of righteousness is also related to the blood of Christ. In experience, we cannot separate the blood from Christ. Apart from His blood, Christ cannot not cover us. Under the cleansing of His blood, Christ becomes our righteousness, which covers our conscience.
Ephesians 6:15 says, “Having shod your feet with the firm foundation of the gospel of peace.” Our feet must be shod in order to strengthen our stand in the battle. The firm foundation of the gospel of peace means the establishing of the gospel of peace. On the cross Christ made peace for us both with God and man, and this peace has become our gospel (2:13-17). This gospel of peace has been established as a firm foundation, as a readiness with which our feet may be shod. Being thus shod, we will have a firm footing so that we may stand to fight the spiritual warfare. The peace for such a firm foundation is Christ (v. 14). We fight in peace and with peace; we fight by standing in peace. Christ is the peace for us to be one with God and to be one with the saints. This peace is the firm foundation that enables us to stand fast against the enemy.
Ephesians 6:16 continues, “Besides all these, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Flaming darts were used by fighters in the apostle’s time. The apostle used this term to illustrate Satan’s attacks on us. The flaming darts are Satan’s temptations, proposals, doubts, questions, lies, and attacks. To quench the fiery darts of the evil one, we need to take up the shield of faith. The shield of faith is not something that we put on but something that we take up in order to protect ourselves against the attacks of the enemy.
Faith comes after truth, righteousness, and peace. If we have truth in our living, righteousness as our covering, and peace as our standing, we shall spontaneously have faith. Faith is a safeguard against the fiery darts of the enemy. Christ is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
Ephesians 6:17 says, “Receive the helmet of salvation.” Receiving the helmet of salvation is for covering our mind, our mentality, against the negative thoughts shot at us by the evil one. Such a helmet, such a covering, is God’s salvation. Satan injects threats, worries, anxieties, and other weakening thoughts into our mind. God’s salvation is the covering that we take up against all these things. Such a salvation is the saving Christ whom we experience in our daily life (John 16:33).
In Ephesians 6:17 Paul goes on to speak of “the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God.” The sword is an item in the armor that is used for attacking the enemy. This verse shows that the Spirit is the word of God. Both the Spirit and the word are Christ (2 Cor. 3:17; Rev. 19:13). The Spirit is the sword itself, not the swordsman. The word of God is also the sword. The sword is the Spirit, and the Spirit is also the word. Therefore, the sword, the Spirit, and the word are one. In our Christian experience, the word and the Spirit need to be one. Christ is the Spirit and the word; He is not only the Spirit, nor is He only the word. He is both. The unique offensive weapon in our spiritual warfare against the enemy is the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God.
The phrase by means of all prayer and petition at the beginning of verse 18 modifies the word receive in verse 17. By prayer we receive both the helmet of salvation and the word of God. This indicates that we need to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. The modifying phrase by means of all prayer and petition in verse 18 is related to all six items of the armor covered in verses 14 through 17. It is by means of all prayer and petition that we gird our loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shod our feet with the firm foundation of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, and receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Prayer is the unique way to apply the armor of God. Thus, prayer is crucial and vital.
The believers wrestle with the devil and his evil spiritual forces in the heavenlies, not only by being empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength and by putting on the whole armor of God but also by praying in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints and the apostle. Ephesians 6:18 speaks of “praying at every time in spirit.” To pray at every time corresponds to Paul’s word in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Unceasingly pray.” We need to pray in our spirit, that is, to pray in our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. This spirit is the mingled spirit, our spirit mingled with God’s Spirit. When we are in our spirit, we are in the Holy Spirit, because our spirit is one with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17).
Ephesians 6:18 goes on to speak of “watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.” This indicates that we need to be watchful, on the alert, regarding our prayer life. We need to be on guard in order to not be robbed of time that should be devoted to prayer. Furthermore, we need to watch unto prayer in all perseverance. To keep a prayer life we need all perseverance, a constant, persistent care. We also need to make petition concerning all the saints. We need to spend much time to pray for the saints in our locality and for the saints in other cities and countries.
Finally, verses 19 through 20 indicate that we also should pray for the apostle. In this portion of the Scriptures Paul asked the saints to pray for him: “That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known in boldness the mystery of the gospel...that in it I would speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Here Paul asked the believers to pray for him so that utterance might be given to him to make known in boldness the mystery of the gospel. This mystery is Christ and the church for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose. This mystery refers to the entire New Testament economy. Christ is the mystery of God, and the church is the mystery of Christ. Christ and the church are for God’s economy, which also is a mystery. All these mysteries are related to the gospel. Therefore, Paul asked the saints to pray for him that utterance might be given to him for him to boldly speak the mystery of the gospel.
The believers corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity by wrestling with the devil and with his forces of evil in the heavenlies. Behind men of flesh and blood is the devil, the evil power that opposes the will of God; therefore, the warfare between the church and Satan is a battle between the believers in the church who love the Lord and the evil power in the heavenlies. Ephesians 6:10-20 reveals, on the negative side, that the church is a warrior to defeat God’s enemy, the devil, with his forces of evil in the heavenlies.
To fight the enemy, the believers need to be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength. They cannot fight in themselves, lest they be defeated. The believers also need to put on the whole armor of God and stand against the stratagems of the devil. The whole armor of God is for the entire Body of Christ; it is not for individual members. Therefore, the believers should fight the spiritual battle in the Body of Christ and never fight individually. The believers must strongly exercise their will to apply God’s provision and put on the armor of God so that they may stand to the end.
In Ephesians 6:14-17 there are six aspects of Christ as the armor. First, there is the girdle of truth for the girding of the loins to strengthen the believers’ entire being; truth refers to God in Christ as reality and experience in the believers’ living. Truth is also Christ Himself lived out of us. Second, there is the breastplate of righteousness to cover our conscience; this breastplate is Christ Himself with His blood, cleansing, covering, and keeping us from Satan’s accusations. Third, on the cross Christ has made peace between us and God, and this gospel of peace has been established as a firm foundation, as a readiness with which our feet may be shod. Being thus shod, we have a firm footing so that we may stand to fight the spiritual warfare. Fourth, after truth, righteousness, and peace, the believers spontaneously have the shield of faith. This faith is a safeguard against the fiery darts, that is, the temptations, proposals, doubts, questions, lies, and attacks of the enemy. Fifth, there is the helmet of salvation; this salvation is the saving Christ experienced by us in our daily living, covering our mind from negative thoughts injected into us by the evil one. Sixth, there is the sword of the Spirit with which to attack the enemy; the Spirit is the word of God, which we receive and apply by means of all prayer and petition. Prayer is the unique way to apply the armor of God.
We also need to fight by praying in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition for all the saints and the apostle. This indicates that we need to be on guard to maintain our prayer life, to make sufficient petition concerning all the saints, and to pray for the apostle so that the mystery of the gospel might be made known in boldness.
